Your application stays between you and us.
Last updated:
Forward Deployed Canadian helps Canadian founders improve their Y Combinator applications. To do that, we ask for some personal details and your draft. This notice explains what we collect, why, who sees it, how long we keep it, and how you stay in control.
The short version
- We use your application only to review it and send you feedback.
- We never sell your information, and we never send it to Y Combinator or investors without your permission.
- Only our team and the volunteer reviewers assigned to you read your draft. They agree to keep it confidential.
- Some of the services we use store data in the United States.
- The application checker runs in your browser. What you check there is never sent to us.
- You can ask to see, correct or delete your information at any time by emailing team@fdcanadian.com.
1. Who we are
Forward Deployed Canadian ("we", "us") is an independent, community-run program. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting for Y Combinator.
We are responsible for the personal information we collect. Our privacy lead is accountable for how we handle it and answers every privacy question and request.
2. What we collect
We collect only what we need to review your application.
| When | What we collect |
|---|---|
| You submit an application | Your name, email, education, institution, your connection to Canada, the YC batch you're targeting, your LinkedIn profile, and the text of your draft application. |
| You email us | Your email address and whatever you choose to include in your message. |
| You use the application checker | Nothing. The checker reads and scores your file inside your own browser. Your file and score are never sent to us or stored. |
| You visit the site | Our hosting provider may record standard technical information, such as your IP address, browser type and the pages you visit, to run and secure the site. |
Your draft may include information about your co-founders, customers or company. Please share only what you're comfortable with, and make sure your co-founders are fine with you sharing details about them.
3. How we use it
We use your information to:
- screen your application and decide whether it's selected for review;
- match it with a reviewer and send you written feedback;
- contact you about your application;
- improve the program, using totals and trends that don't identify you.
We may use automated tools, such as our completeness checker, to help sort applications. A person makes every decision about which applications are reviewed.
We will not sell or rent your information, use it for advertising, add you to a marketing list, or use your draft to train AI models. If we ever want to use your information for a new purpose, we'll ask you first.
4. Your consent
When you submit an application, you'll be asked to agree to this notice. That agreement is your consent for us to collect and use your information as described here, including storing it with the service providers listed below.
You can withdraw your consent at any time by emailing us. We'll stop reviewing your application and delete your information, unless the law requires us to keep it.
5. Who sees it
Our team and reviewers
Your application is seen only by our core team and the volunteer reviewers we assign to it. Reviewers are founders who have been through YC. They see only the applications assigned to them and agree to keep them confidential.
Service providers
We use a small number of providers to run the program. They handle your information only on our behalf, under their own security and privacy commitments.
| Provider | What it does | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Formspree | Receives application forms and stores submissions | United States |
| Space Sheep | Hosts this website | Outside Canada |
| Our email provider | Delivers submissions and our messages to you | May be outside Canada |
No one else, unless you agree or the law requires it
We never share your application with Y Combinator, investors or employers unless you ask us to. We will disclose information only if the law requires it, for example to comply with a valid court order.
6. Where it's stored
Some of your information is stored and processed outside Canada, including in the United States. While it's there, it's subject to the laws of that country, and courts, law enforcement and national security authorities there may be able to access it.
Before using a provider outside Canada, we check that it offers protection comparable to what you'd expect here.
7. How long we keep it
We keep your application for 12 months after the YC batch deadline you applied for, so we can answer follow-up questions and help if you reapply. After that we delete it, or strip out anything that identifies you.
You can ask us to delete it sooner at any time.
8. How we protect it
We limit access to the people who need it, use providers with industry-standard security, and protect our accounts with strong passwords and two-step sign-in. Reviewers receive only the applications assigned to them.
No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affecting your information creates a real risk of significant harm, we'll tell you and report it to the relevant privacy regulator as the law requires.
9. Your rights
You can ask us to:
- see the information we hold about you;
- correct anything that's wrong;
- delete your information or withdraw your consent;
- send you a copy of the information you gave us.
Email team@fdcanadian.com. We'll reply within 30 days. We may ask you to confirm your identity first, so we don't give your information to someone else.
If you're not satisfied with our answer, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. If you live in Quebec, you can also contact the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec.
10. Cookies and tracking
We don't use advertising cookies, tracking pixels or third-party analytics. Our hosting provider may use cookies the site needs to work, for example to keep signed-in visitors signed in.
11. Age
This program is for founders applying to YC. If you're under 18, please have a parent or guardian read this notice with you before you apply. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 14.
12. Changes and contact
If we change this notice, we'll update the date at the top. If a change affects how we use information you've already given us, we'll tell you by email and ask for your consent where needed.
Questions or requests: team@fdcanadian.com.